Looking to boost its domestic image, Apple on Wednesday announced that it expects to contribute $350 billion to the U.S. economy during the next five years, picking up some 20,000 jobs in the process. (Updated with internal letter from Tim Cook.)

Apple is making the decision for customers acquiring the iMac Pro to pick up AppleCare+ with their purchase easier, by keeping the price of the extended warranty service the same as for the iMac despite the increase in hardware cost.

Last year's Amazon Prime Day marked the largest day of sales for the e-commerce giant. This year additional retailers, such as Adorama and B&H, are offering their own aggressive discounts, often beating Amazon's prices on Apple hardware with no sales tax outside NY and NJ. We're rounding up a list of the hottest Prime Day bargains with updates throughout the day.

Ends tonight! Apple deals are in full swing the first week of May with discounts of up to $390 off Late 2016 MacBook Pros with AppleCare, plus free shipping and no tax outside NY and NJ. Or pick up the 15" without AppleCare for $2,099 ($300 off). Those in the market for a 2017 iPad can also save $10 on the 128GB Wi-Fi model.

Heading into the weekend, AI readers can exclusively save $355 on Apple's 2015 15" MacBook Pro with AppleCare. Or pick up an upgraded 2016 13" MacBook Pro with function keys and 1TB of storage for $2,399 with no tax in 48 states. The spacious 256GB 12.9" iPad Pro is also $50 off.

For a third consecutive year, tech publication Laptop has once again awarded the best score in its Tech Support Showdown to Apple, commending its support via phone calls, online chat, and social media accounts.

Shoppers can take advantage of the lowest prices of the year on Apple's 13" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, at just $1,549 with no tax in 48 states. Or save $470 on Apple's 2016 15" MacBook Pro with AppleCare. A 27" iMac 5K is also $260 off with AppleCare, and Apple's Magic Trackpad 2 is $99 with our exclusive coupon. A lifetime Mac bundle with 10 apps is also $44 through Friday.

In an apparent policy shift, Apple recently notified store technicians that third-party iPhone screen repairs no longer void the handset's standard warranty as long as the unauthorized fix does not damage the casing or other related components.

Ends today! If you received a new Mac for the holidays or bought a 2016 12" MacBook on release day, now is the time to purchase an AppleCare extended protection plan before the one-year warranty expires. Adorama is slashing prices on standalone AppleCare purchases by as much as $90 -- and all plans comes with free shipping and no tax outside NY and NJ.

In tandem with announcing the iPhone 7 on Wednesday, Apple also revised its AppleCare+ plans for iPhones, instituting a $29 screen replacement option but forcing all customers to pay $99 for any other form of accident repair.

Apple is working on an iOS app intended to funnel people through the support process faster, as well as address a lot of questions without phone calls or looking it up on the company's website, it was revealed on Friday.